To facilitate manufacturing of electrochemical cells, current collecting tabs are often made longer than what is required by the final geometry of the cells. Because of this, the tabs are often formed into their final positions through a series of deliberate bends. As a result of inherent variation in manufacturing processes, the bending of the tabs may impart an undesirable force so that tab material makes contact with electrode of the opposing polarity, causing a short circuit and a non-functioning product. A short circuit can also be caused by a tab's movement due to cell cycling, mechanical shock, and/or vibration loading during the lifetime of the cell. To prevent short circuits, a tab insulator with one or more holes that allow one or more tabs to pass through can be used. However, because the relative positions of the tabs can vary significantly, an insulator that can accommodate multiple tabs and can be easily assembled into a working cell can be difficult to make, especially when there are 4 or more tabs to accommodate. It is also possible to cover each tab with adhesive backed polyimide material, and use additional strips of polyimide tape over the battery cell to prevent the tabs from contacting the cell. However, currently known polyimide tape adhesives soften considerably with exposure to heat or lithium ion cell electrolyte. This would allow the tape to move from its protective position on the tab during mechanical shock and vibration loads.
Improvements to address these and other limitations of conventional cylindrical and prismatic batteries are desired.